What’s interesting in the news today?
Open thread, as always.
Well, it’s shutdown. So this is either the worst thing ever if you listen to Dems, or it’s no big deal. I hate not knowing whether it’s time to panic or not. 🙂
From NBCNews “With just hours to go before a midnight deadline, the Senate swiftly nixed a House-passed government funding proposal late Monday, tossing the legislation back to the lower chamber with unusual speed as the nation careened towards a federal shutdown.
Shortly after receiving the House proposal to fund the government and delay a key provision of the president’s health care law, the Senate voted along party lines to send the bill back to the House for a last-ditch effort at meeting a midnight deadline to keep the government’s lights on.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor before the vote that Republicans “have lost their minds” by repeatedly voting for “ridiculous policy riders” destined for failure in the Democratically-controlled Senate.”
If it’s the end of the world, why do I feel fine?
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This one? Well it’s kinda like that Sequester thingy. It’s supposed to be bad, and it might be for the little guys in the federal food chain. But rest assured, the people in charge are gonna be OK.
From TheWashingtonExaminer “A federal government shutdown will temporarily cut off pay of thousands of Uncle Sam’s workers, but for those considered “excepted employees,” there could be a nice salary bump thanks to rules allowing overtime, compensatory time and other benefits provided to those the administration feels too important to furlough.
In advance of the potential shutdown, the Office of Personnel Management distributed a 30-page “Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs” that spells out who will get what, if anything, if President Obama and House Republicans can’t negotiate a break in the budget stalemate by Monday night, the end of the fiscal year.
Most workers won’t be considered excepted employees, but OPM emphasized that it’s not because their work isn’t valued. “Excepted employees include employees who are performing emergency work involving the safety of human life or the protection of property or performing certain other types of excepted work,” said the guide.”
Comp time and overtime will be permitted for the lucky ones. The ones who get furloughed will get back pay when they get back to work, at least they have the last 17 times this has happened.
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Today is the scheduled launch day for ObamaCare. And yes, it breaks federal law on taxpayers not funding abortions.
From TheWashingtonTimes “The Office of Personnel Management ruled Monday that members of Congress and their staffs will be able to buy health care plans that pay for abortions, even though the premiums are funded largely by taxpayer money — a move that conservatives say breaks federal law on abortion funding.
Under the terms of Obamacare, lawmakers and their aides are required to ditch their government-sponsored plans and buy insurance on state-based health care exchanges, though unlike most people on the exchanges, the staffers and members will have most of the costs of their premiums paid by their employer — in this case, taxpayers.”
“Federal law generally prevents taxpayer money from being used to pay for abortions, but OPM said the health care plans offered through the exchange were private. The agency also said it will make sure the money is segregated so that the portion that pays for abortions comes out of the employees’ own contributions, which amounts to about a quarter of the premiums.”
Please. Don’t insult our intelligence. That’s hogwash and they know it. It’s a distinction without a difference.
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And last one from me today…
The Obama DoD continues their war on Christians.
From FoxNews “Evangelical Christian airmen at Lackland Air Force Base are facing severe threats and retribution for their religious beliefs and some personnel have been ordered to publicly express their position on gay marriage.
“There is an atmosphere of intimidation at Lackland Air Force Base,” said Steve Branson, the pastor of Village Parkway Baptist Church in San Antonio. “Gay commanders and officers are pushing their agenda on the airmen. There is a culture of fear in the military and it’s gone to a new level with the issue of homosexuality.”
Branson tells me at least 80 airmen attended a private meeting at the church where he heard them voice their concerns about religious hostilities at the Air Force base. It was a standing-room only crowd.
“The religious persecution is happening,” the pastor said. “It’s getting bigger every day. Gay and lesbian airmen can talk about their lifestyle, but the rest have to stay completely quiet about what they believe.”
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UPDATE
Looks like the govt isn’t the only thing down this morning.
From Twitchy “Surprise! Obamacare health insurance exchange websites don’t work”
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Wandering Views 
Paraphrase of a funny Facebook post by Hubby’s cousin.
“I looked outside and THE ROADS…THE ROADS were gone. I’m afraid to drive by a school, a fire station or an older person. This is worse than the LEFT BEHIND novels.”
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🙂
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Love your post, kBells! Too funny!!!
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It will be interesting to see if what is happening at Lackland is also taking place at other military bases. A US military without male heterosexuals should be a source of amusement to other nations.
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One of my favorites from the comment section: “OK, lets get all of the politicians into their underground cold war bunker (for their safety, of course) then change the video feed going in to a loop of The Walking Dead and just leave them there.”
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Another funny one, “CNN now reporting AR-15 was used to shutdown the government.”
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A friend new to military wifedom posted an indignant piece on FB yesterday. I noted the president signed legislation that the military would continue to get paid, late last night.
My husband points out the military is allowed to go two months without being paid and then they can go home.
Fancy that. Just go home.
It’s not a funny matter, however, to those who were expecting their pay checks to meet their needs. So while it may not be hurting those in the private sector so much, it is cramping people I know who are contractors or who work in government agencies. Real people, real lives.
Maybe even CB, someone we know and like.
When the public employees went on strike in Hawaii 20 years ago, services actually went faster, there was less traffic on the freeways, and the only thing that personally affected me was the closure of the library.
Six weeks in, the newspaper commented on the same thing and that’s what drove the public services union to the bargaining table–the realization they were demonstrating how irrelevant they were.
Sigh. What a mess. I’m just sorry it came to this and I’d really rather not read or hear about finger pointing. It’s the fault of everyone involved and let’s deal with the issues rather than whine like children about who is at fault.
As I used to say to my children, “I don’t care. Fix it.”
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What a mess indeed.
Can’t we make them ALL resign (or, as kbells suggested, maybe just lock them underground somewhere and, oh, oops, lose the key?). And then start all over again with one giant election for a new president and congress?
Sigh.
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So who should give in?
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Ha. Someone on fb referred to it as the “federal zombie apocalypse.”
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Gotta love this one.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics-live/liveblog/live-updates-the-shutdown-showdown/?id=be1019a4-371a-4079-883a-59fe22fc9522&Post+generic=%3Ftid%3Dsm_twitter_washingtonpost
“At the barricaded World War II Memorial shortly after 11 a.m., a group of World War II veterans from Mississippi, led by members of Congress, entered the memorial despite the shutdown.
The veterans were part of an honor flight program. They had chartered an $80,000 airplane, and their plans were too far advanced to postpone, said Wayne Lennep, spokesman for the Mississippi Gulf Coast honor flights.”
“The group had arrived at 10 a.m. at Reagan National Airport on the chartered flight from Gulfport, Miss. The U.S. Park Police allowed the bus to stop.
“I’m not going to enforce the no stopping or standing sign for a group of 90 World War II veterans,” said the officer, who declined to give his name. “I’m a veteran myself. ”
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The shutdown isn’t exactly or entirely the fault of those currently bickering over budgets, but also of those politicians (and their voters) who got us here, and it’s the consequence of wanting government to be everything to everybody. And that mentality isn’t going to change, so whatever.
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Epic Fail.
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AJ, how much does it cost to let people stop and look at something that’s right there nearly on the street?
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Exactly KBells.
But much like the fear mongering of the Sequester, painful examples must be made to prove their point. But also like the Sequester, it’s just not the big deal they make it out to be. We haven’t been able to visit the White House. That doesn’t matter to most folks. The National Zoo closing will only matter to advance ticket sale purchasers.
Republicans are offering stopgaps for important functions, let’s see if the Dems can actually get around to passing some. They can prevent a lot of this. But will they? is the question.
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